TV RATINGS: WCQ, MLS, EPL, Friendlies, GOLD Cup, ETC. PART III

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2018/03/23/watched-soccer-games-us-tv-march-14-18-2018/

Chivas vs Seattle Sounders had 745k on Univisión Deportes. It didn't air in English.

 

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2018/04/nba-playoff-ratings-stanley-cup-overnights-uefa/

 

I guess FOX will be happy to let it go to Turner based on that.

 

Fox Sports 1 airs absolutely nothing of interest in mid-week.

 

True.
But they can use the declining numbers to justify that they made the right decision to not outbid Turner.

 

With no UEFA Champions League, midweek ratings will plummet even further.

 

Probably. But they obviously don't care.

 

I'm not sure if they're declining all that much overall. Audiences in the 300-400k range sound about normal in the FOX and ESPN eras. And yes, FOX normally runs shows in the afternoon that get less than a third of a decent Champs League audience. It's definitely good weekday afternoon content - and a great demographic watching (younger men). Just a question of how attractive is the audience boost for the price your paying for the rights.

 

And Turner as we know is going to put a paywall on a majority of the matches.

 

Yep, probably a big factor in their cost/ROI strategy. Hate to say it but it's not a bad idea from the corporate perspective. You push the casual customer to the biggest matches over the air (still getting those 200-400k viewers). And get some money back from the hardcore fans who will pay for choices.

 

Univision can sucker punch them though by offering their online matches for "free" on their Digital platform and TV channels.

 

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2018/04/26/watched-soccer-games-us-tv-april-17-22-2018/

FA Cup semifinal - Man Utd vs Tottenham: 684 k on Fox, 120 k on Fox Deportes.

Liga MX - Atlas vs Chivas: 598 k on Univisión Deportes.

MLS - Seattle Sounders vs Minnesota United: 204 k on ESPN.
MLS - Portland Timbers vs New York City FC: 152 k on Fox Sports 1.

 

MLS: not sure if possible but you may want to play Zlatan in every match

 

From the article below through the weblink, it could have major implications on Bundesliga (and probably MLS) since their contract with FOX expires at the end of the 2019-20 season.

If it becomes a reality, it's almost certain that FOX (or New Fox) plans to invest heavily on WWE content through marketing and programming on over-the-air network, Fox Sports 1, and Fox Sports 2 with the expectations of high viewership and ratings.

So, it leaves many questions on Bundesliga, when it comes to live television in the United States through Fox Sports, in the next two calendar years.



Fox and WWE Close to Massive Five-Year, $1 Billion Deal for 'SmackDown' [May 21, 2018 @ 10:25AM PDT]
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/a...l-smackdown-1113701?__twitter_impression=true

 

Really? NBC Universal owns the biggest wrestling properties and they only show 5 or so hours of content on their networks. I would think this is just a primetime grab for guaranteed Tuesday night ratings. Still tons of space for programming on 1, 2 and online.

 

The FA will be happy with this increase as the rights for next season and beyond hit the open market

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2018/05/sunday-night-baseball-ratings-fa-cup-wnba/

 

I know Man U is popular, but I'm surprised Man U-Crystal Palace got more viewers than Arsenal-Chelsea.

 

Here we go, get used to a lot of this (and arguing about this)

What a difference 4 years makes? Russia v Saudi Arabia from 11A-1P averaged a 1.6 overnight rating in the largest 56 markets. Equivalent game in 2014 (Brazil v Croatia from 4-6P on 6/12/14) averaged a 3.4 overnight rating.

— Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) June 15, 2018

 

I'm not saying the ratings will be as good as last time, but all other things equal, Brazil v Croatia would get more viewers.

 

2018 will be down vs 2014 for just about every single match, no doubt about. Time zones alone will do that.

2010 is the real comp for FOX (and Telemundo). Opening match in 2010 had 2.9 million (ESPN) viewers vs 1.7 million (FOX) in 2018. The main asterisk for 2010 was that Mexico played in that opening match, they do move the needle a bit more on English language tv. Still, that's a huge drop

 

Day 1
2018 | Russia-Saudi Arabia | 11am ET
FOX: 1.7 mil | Telemundo: N/A yet

2014 | Brazil-Croatia | 4pm ET
ESPN: 4.4 mil | Univision: 5.1 mil

2010 | South Africa-Mexico | 10am ET
ESPN: 2.9 mil | Univision: 5.4 mil

2010 | Uruguay vs. France | 2pm ET
ESPN: 2.7 mil | Univision

 

Day 2 (Friday)
2018 | Egypt-Uruguay | 8am ET
FOX: | Telemundo:

2018 | Morocco-Iran | 11am ET
FOX: | Telemundo:

2018 | Portugal-Spain | 2pm ET
FOX: 2.9 mil | Telemundo:

2014: Mexico vs. Cameroon | 11:30am ET
ESPN2: 1.8 mil | Uni: 5 mil

2014 | Spain vs. Netherlands | 2:30pm ET
ESPN: 3.1 mil | Uni:

2014 | Chile vs. Australia | 5:30pm ET
ESPN2: 2.5 mil | Uni:

2010 (opening matchday was Friday see above)

will update when I see numbers

 

Mexico-Germany: 7.1 million on Telemundo, 4.0 million on Fox Sports 1.

Brazil-Switzerland: 4.3 million on Telemundo, 4.1 million on Fox Sports 1.

 

Here's the full list of the 2014 FIFA World Cup TV ratings (and viewership) from the Morgan Wick website for comparison and contrast with the 2018 FIFA World Cup TV ratings (and viewership).

2014 FIFA World Cup Ratings Wrap-Up [January 6, 2015]
http://sports.morganwick.com/2015/01/2014-fifa-world-cup-ratings-wrap-up/#sthash.fwXV7iUV.dpbs

 

Only four matches under a million viewers (English only, all ESPN2).